


He Can Remember Again

by NorthwesternInsanity



Category: AC/DC
Genre: Acceptance, Angst, Coping, Death, Gen, Grief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 16:29:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12891963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthwesternInsanity/pseuds/NorthwesternInsanity
Summary: Written in memory of Malcolm Young.  Brian calls Cliff with news they both knew was coming with long warning, but could never be truly prepared for.  They help each other cope with it.





	He Can Remember Again

Cliff Williams picked up the ringing phone in the early afternoon. The caller I.D., to his surprise, displayed it was from Brian, and while they did call each other frequently, to get calls on days back to back was unusual.

"Bri? I wasn't expecting a call from you this soon; what's this-?"

"Cliff, mate, I dunnuh how tuh tell ya this."

Brian's voice was rough and gravely. That wasn't new, but it was rough and gravely in a way that wasn't typical, cheerful Brian Johnson. Which along with the odd timing of the phone call meant there was probably some bad news.

There were few kinds of bad news that could possibly effect Brian that would have a great enough effect on Cliff for Brian to call him and give such a foreboding greeting.

He felt his heart plummet to his gut as he realized what it was before Brian could say any further. And it still somehow didn't soften the impact when he did.

"He's gone, Cliff. He's _gone_.

Cliff's breath caught in his throat with a sharp gasp, and he couldn't draw more air in or push it out as if his diaphragm had been frozen with the shock spreading through his chest. An uncomfortably warm flash of blood seemed to rush to his head, turning his cheeks hot, then it was gone, leaving him dizzy so he had to lean over and rest against the table.

As the initial shock faded within seconds, he raised a hand to his forehead and leaned over his lap, propping himself up as he got his bearings. Slowly, he released the air in his lungs in a slow, shaking exhale as the familiar, aching weight of grief and loss settled on his heart. Almost the same as he'd felt not far from four decades ago when he'd gotten _that_ awful and distraught phone call from Phil. That one was more shocking, because none of them expected it. Not any more or less painful; however, Cliff noted, feeling the weight on his heart begin to reflect itself with a light stinging behind his eyes.

"Holy smokes," he managed.

"Funny how -I mean, we both knew it was coming," Brian started, clearly conflicted in the same way as Cliff over how shocked he still felt. "Hell, we almost _wanted_ it tuh come so he could be free of that awful state he was in."

"Lord knows what he must have suffered, while he was still aware of it," sighed Cliff. He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes, descending into a moment of silence.

"An' tuh think he pushed through a lot of it, havin' tuh retrain himself all those riffs -I don't want tuh know what he must've felt when he chose tuh stop, 'cause he knew where things were goin'."

"Who told you, or were you online?" asked Cliff.

"It might just be hitting the reports now -it was just less of an hour ago," sighed Brian. "Ang called me an' told me tuh tell ya, an Mal's son called Phil."

"How's he holding up?" Cliff noted weakly how the turn of events in the past three years affected Angus. The situation that had forced Brian off the road had been harder than most realized. Angus had a way of keeping his appearance stoic until something snapped and he had a meltdown -two of which Cliff had dealt with in the months between Brian's leaving and his retirement at the end of the tour. Despite that he was retired and didn't have the duty as a bandmate to look after everyone all the time, he still felt that duty in a time like this.

"It wasn't a long phone call, mate. I don't know. He was -I know he must've been beside himself right after it happened, an' he was struggling, but he knew it was coming just as we all did-"

"Just makes it feel too real for a second," Cliff finished.

"An' that's it mate. Funny -Ang nearly hung up as soon as he said it, but he wanted tuh tell me himself, and he said it was because Mal called Bon's family -when that happened. Because he wanted it to be from someone they knew instead of from the tabloid reports -an' said Mal wanted us to tell each other too, when he went, an' that's-"

Cliff blew out a sigh and went quiet for a few seconds again. How much he still missed Bon after all these years -how much they _all_ did. How hard that call had been for Malcolm, yet he'd done it because he knew Bon would have wanted it and it was the right thing to do that Malcolm always seemed to know. And now Angus was doing the same for Malcolm, as hard as it was for him.

But it was as if he could feel Bon's presence in that moment, through Malcolm and Angus' actions. And there was something different about it.

"It's best for him," Brian finally concluded gloomily. "It's just hard to believe he's really gone."

Cliff shook his head, wiping his eyes. 

"No, no, mate. He's not gone," he whispered after a moment.

"How so?"

"He's with us in spirit -for keeping it together as long as we could, like he wanted, and as long as we'll all be here for each other as we get past this, he will be too, I would say," Cliff declared. "We can't see him or hear him, but Mal's here. He's just out of sight from us and saying hello to Bon for all of us. Maybe jamming with him like he hasn't been able to the past few years and happy to play a guitar after so long. And telling Bon about all those stories we've had together that he can remember again."


End file.
